Stackable box

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a stackable box which comprises a container, a plurality of supporting elements, a hand-held bar and two transparent lids. The container has a concave structure on its sidewall for accepting the hand-held bar. In addition, the container has a plurality of mouths on its sidewall to attach to the supporting elements of another provided stackable box so the two or more provided stackable boxes can form a stacked, unit for use; when not in use, the supporting elements can be accepted inside a plurality of mouths on the back of the container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to a box, and more particularlyto a stackable box.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Today, items are produced constantly day and night to meet variousrequirements and needs. For storing personal items, tools, andperipherals, various boxes are designed to these purposes, such aspencil case, etui, toolbox, and storage box. Various items could bemanaged, stored, and categorized by being placed in these boxes. A goodstorage box design does not only save the manufacturing cost but alsosave the space the produced box is going to occupy. In contrast, an illstorage box design will not only increase the manufacturing cost and thespace the produced box is going to occupy, but also cause inconvenienceto their users. A typical box usually comprises a container and a lid.Moreover, a typical box usually has a joint to link the lid and thecontainer in a way that the lid can be flipped open to allow access tothe container. However, when a plurality of stackable boxes are stackedup, there is no such a structure in the mentioned traditional box designfor holding the whole stack steadily, and the occupied space by thewhole stack is not be saved either. Furthermore, the contents of thetraditional box can not be seen without opening the lid, and finding anwanted item can be no easy a job when a plurality of boxes are to besearched. Therefore, it is desired to improve the traditional box designto lower the manufacturing cost, strengthen the stacking structure, andmeet the convenience requirement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Based on the previous description, to meet the requirement of a moreconvenient box, the present invention provides a new stackable box tosteadily hold a stack of boxes. It can not only satisfy the mentionedrequirement but also achieve the economic effects for industry.

One object of the present invention is to provide a stackable box. Inaccordance with the present invention, the provided stackable box has acontainer and a plurality of supporting elements mounted at the bottomof the container. The supporting elements are foldable and can eitherprotrude outside or hide under the bottom of the container. In addition,these supporting elements are demountable. Moreover, at least onetransparent lid for covering the container is provided such that thecontents of the box could be seen without opening the lid. On the otherhand, the whole design provided in this present invention is based onDIY (Do It Yourself philosophy in order to let users convenientlyassemble and disassemble the provided boxes by themselves at will.

As described above, the present invention disclosed a stackable boxwhich comprises a container, a plurality of supporting elements, ahand-held bar, and two transparent lids. The container is a basin whichcomprises a bottom plate and a unified, laddered sidewall surroundingthe bottom plate. The hand-held bar is attached to a concave structureon the laddered sidewall and can spin freely so the hand-held bar can beaccepted by the concave structure. A plurality of first stacking monthsare located on the top surface of the laddered sidewall to attach to aplurality of supporting elements correspondingly located at the bottomof the container of another provided box, whereupon two or more providedstackable boxes can form a stacked unit for use. In addition, theplurality of supporting elements at the bottom of the container can beaccepted by a plurality of second stacking mouths at the bottom of thecontainer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of thespecification illustrate several aspects of the present invention, andtogether with the description serve to explain the principles of theinvention. In the drawings:

FIGS. 1A-1E show diagrams of a stackable box in accordance with a firstembodiment of the present invention; and

FIGS. 2A-2C show diagrams of a stackable box in accordance with a secondembodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

Having summarized various aspects of the present invention, referencewill now be made in detail to the description of the invention asillustrated in the drawings. While the invention will be described inconnection with these drawings, there is no intent to limit it to theembodiment or embodiments disclosed therein. On the contrary the intentis to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents includedwithin the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appendedclaims.

It is noted that the drawings presents herein have been provided toillustrate certain features and aspects of embodiments of the invention.It will be appreciated from the description provided herein that avariety of alternative embodiments and implementations may be realized,consistent with the scope and spirit of the present invention.

It is also noted that the drawings presents herein are not consistentwith the same scale. Some scales of some components are not proportionalto the scales of other components in order to provide comprehensivedescriptions and emphasizes to this present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1A and 1B, in a first embodiment of the presentinvention there is provided a stackable box 100 which comprises acontainer 110, a plurality of supporting elements 120, a hand-held bar130, and two transparent lids 140. The container 110 comprises aunified, laddered sidewall 105 surrounding a first surface of a plate110A to enclose out a basin for containing stuff. As shown, the ladderedsidewall 105 comprises an outer wall 115 and an inner wall 125, whereinthe outer wall 115 is slightly higher than the inner wall 125 so thatwhen the transparent lids 140 are closed, the transparent lids 140 canbe supported by the inner wall 125 and the top surfaces of thetransparent lids 140 are as high as the top surface of the outer wall115. Furthermore, the outer wall 115 comprises (in turn) a first surface115A, a second surface 115B, a third surface 115C, and a fourth surface115D, wherein the first surface 115A and the third surface 115C faceeach other and the second surface 115B and the fourth surface 115D faceeach other. The first surface 115A has a concave structure 115E whereinthe concave structure 115E has two first attaching mouths 135A, each onone of the two ends of the concave structure 115E. The two firstattaching mouths 135A are used to link the two ends of the hand-held bar130 so the hand-held bar 130 can spin freely and be accepted by theconcave structure 115E. The concave structure 115E further comprises afirst jointing agent 165A to lock up the two transparent lids 140 whenthe two transparent lids 140 are closed. As shown, each of the secondsurface 115B and the fourth surface 115D has two second attaching mouths135B wherein the four second attaching mouths 135B are correspondinglylocated in pairs and are used to link and fix the two transparent lids140 in a way that the two transparent lids 140 can spin freely foropening and closing. A plurality of first stacking mouths 145A arelocated on the boundary of the inner wall 125 and the second surface115B and the boundary of the inner wall 125 and the fourth surface 115D,respectively, for attaching to a plurality of the supporting elements120, whereupon a plurality of the provided stackable boxes 100 can bestacked up and form a stacked unit for use. Besides the above mentionedfirst jointing agent 165A, a second jointing agent 165B is located ontop the surface of the third surface 115C to help lock up the twotransparent lids 140 The second jointing agent 165B is opposite to thefirst jointing agent 165A. Moreover, the plate 110A has a plurality ofsecond stacking mouths 145B on a second surface of the plate 100A toattach to or accept a plurality of the supporting elements 120.

Now referring to FIG. 1A to 1D, in this embodiment, each supportingelement 120 comprises a first fastening element 150 and a secondfastening element 155. A linking agent 150A is located at one end of thefirst fastening element 150 to attach to the second stacking mouth 145B;on the other hand, one end of the second fastening element 155 attachesto the first stacking mouth 145A. Furthermore, the other end of thefirst fastening element 150 is joined with the other end of the secondfastening element 155 such that these two fastening elements can spinalong the joint axis and be folded and accepted inside the second stackmouth 145B, as shown in FIG. 1C. In addition, a plurality of the secondfastening elements 155 of the supporting element 120 can be pulled outto serve as supporting legs for the stackable box 100. Two linkingelements 140A are located on one side of each transparent lid 140 toattach to the two second attaching mouths 135B on the second surface115B and the fourth surface 115D in a way that the two transparent lids140 can spin freely. The two transparent lids 140 further comprise twolocking agents 140B which are located respectively corresponding to thefirst jointing agent 165A on the concave structure and the secondjointing agent 165B on the third surface, i.e., the two locking agents140B are opposite to each other. By working together and with help oftwo third fastening elements 160, the locking agents 140B and the firstjointing agent 165A/second jointing agent 165B can lock up the twotransparent lids 140 when the two transparent lids 140 are closed. Whatshould be noticed is that the third fastening element 160 can equallywork with any of the two locking agents 140B.

Referring to FIG. 2A to 2C, in a second embodiment of the presentinvention there is provided a stackable box 200 which comprises acontainer 210, a plurality of supporting elements 220, a hand-held bar230, and a transparent lid 240. The container 210 comprises a unified,laddered sidewall 205 surrounding a first surface of a plate 210A toenclose out a basin for containing stuff. As shown, the ladderedsidewall 205 comprises an outer wall 215 and an inner wall 225, whereinthe outer wall 215 is slightly higher than the inner wall 225 so thatwhen the transparent lid 240 is closed, the transparent lid 240 can besupported by the inner wall 225 and the top surface of the transparentlid 240 is as high as the top surface of the outer wall 215.Furthermore, the outer wall 215 comprises (in turn) a first surface215A, a second surface 215B, a third surface 215C, and a fourth surface215D, wherein the first surface 215A and the third surface 215C faceeach other and the second surface 215B and the fourth surface 215D faceeach other. The first surface 215A has a concave structure 215E whereinthe concave structure 215E has two first attaching mouths 235A, each onone of the two ends of the concave structure 215E. The two firstattaching mouths 235A are used to link the two ends of the hand-held bar230 so the hand-held bar 230 can spin freely and be accepted by theconcave structure 215E.

As shown in FIG. 2A to 2C, in this embodiment, the concave structure215E further comprises at least one jointing agent 265A to lock up thetransparent lid 240 when the transparent lids 240 is closed. At leastone first stacking mouth 245A is located on the boundary of the innerwall 225 and the second surface 215B and the boundary of the inner wall225 and the fourth surface 215D, respectively, for attaching to aplurality of the supporting elements 220. As shown, the third surface215C has a mouth 225A in the middle of it, wherein the mouth 225A hastwo attaching mouths 235B to link and fix the transparent lid 240. Onthe other hand, the mouth 225A further has at least one first stackingmouth 245A to attach to a plurality of the supporting elements 220,whereupon a plurality of the provided stackable boxes 200 can be stackedup and form a stacked unit for use. Moreover, the plate 210A has aplurality of second stacking mouths 245B on a second surface of it toattach to or accept a plurality of the supporting elements 220.

As shown in FIG. 2A to 2C, in this embodiment, each supporting element220 comprises a first fastening element 250 and a second fasteningelement 255. A linking agent 250A is located at one end of the firstfastening element 250 to attach to the second stacking mouth 245B; onthe other hand, one end of the second fastening element 255 attaches tothe first stacking mouth 245A. Furthermore, the other end of the firstfastening element 250 is joined with the other end of the secondfastening element 255 such that these two fastening elements can spinalong the joint axis and be folded and accepted inside the second stackmouth 245B. In addition, a plurality of the second fastening elements255 of the supporting element 220 can be pulled out to serve assupporting legs for the stackable box 200. Two linking elements 240A arelocated on one side of the transparent lid 240 to attach to the twosecond attaching mouths 235B on the third surface 215C in a way that thetransparent lid 240 can spin freely. The transparent lid 240 furthercomprises at least one locking agents 240B which is locatedcorresponding to the at least one jointing agent 265A on the concavestructure 215E on the first surface 215A. By working together and withhelp of at least one third fastening element 260, the at least onelocking agent 240B and the at least one jointing agent 265A can lock upthe transparent lid 240 when the transparent lid 240 is closed. Whatshould be noticed is that the at least one third fastening element 260can equally work with any of the at least one locking agent 240B.

In the embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of stackingmouths are utilized to attach to a plurality of supporting elements,whereupon a plurality of provided stackable boxes can be stacked up andform a stacked unit for use. Besides, all components of the presentinvention are designed to be assembled and disassembled freely. It isconvenient for users to assemble the present invention by themselves atwill. What should be noticed is that the application of the presentinvention is not limited to the design of a storage box, but alsoequally to any other kind storage apparatus.

The foregoing description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limitthe invention to the precise forms disclosed. Obvious modifications orvariations are possible in light of the above teachings. In this regard,the embodiment or embodiments discussed were chosen and described toprovide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and itspractical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the artto utilize the invention in various embodiments and with variousmodifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All suchmodifications and variations are within the scope of the inventions asdetermined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance withthe breath to which they are fairly and legally entitled.

1. A stackable box, comprising: a container, said container comprises aladdered sidewall surrounding a first surface of a plate to enclose outa basin for containing stuff, said laddered sidewall comprises an innerwall and an outer wall wherein said outer wall further comprises a firstsurface, a second surface, a third surface, and a fourth surface inorder; a concave structure on said first surface of said outer wall,said concave structure comprises two first attaching mouths each on oneof the two ends of said concave structure, said two first attachingmouths are used to link the two ends of a hand-held bar so saidhand-held bar can spin freely and be accepted by said concave structure,said concave structure has a first jointing agent in the middle; twosecond opposite attaching mouths on said second surface and said fourthsurface, and a plurality of first stacking mouths in opposite pairs onthe boundary of said inner wall and said second surface and the boundaryof said inner wall and said fourth surface, respectively; a secondjointing agent on said third surface, said second jointing agent isopposite to said first jointing agent; a plurality of second stackingmouths on a second surface of said plate; a plurality of supportingelements wherein each said supporting element comprises a firstfastening element and a second fastening element, one end of said firstfastening element attaches to said second stacking mouth via a linkingagent, one end of said second fastening element attaches to said firststacking mouth, the other end of said first fastening element is joinedwith the other end of said second fastening element such that the twosaid fastening elements can spin along the joint axis and be folded andaccepted inside said second stacking mouth; two transparent lids,wherein each said transparent lid has two linking elements on one sideto attach to said two second attaching mouths in a way that said twotransparent lids can spin freely; a locking agent on the other side ofeach said transparent lid, said locking agent is close to said firstjointing agent and said second jointing agent, respectively; and twothird fastening elements to work with said locking agent and said firstjointing agent/said second jointing agent for locking up said twotransparent lids.
 2. The stackable box of claim 1, wherein said outerwall is slightly higher than said inner wall so that when said twotransparent lids are closed, said two transparent lids can be supportedby said inner wall and the top surfaces of said two transparent lids areas high as the top surface of said outer wall.
 3. The stackable box ofclaim 1, wherein said locking agents are located corresponding to saidfirst jointing agent on said concave structure and said second jointingagent on said third surface, respectively.
 4. The stackable box of claim1, wherein said fastening element can work with any of said lockingagents.
 5. A stackable box, comprising: a container, said containercomprises a laddered sidewall surrounding a first surface of a plate toenclose out a basin for containing stuff, said laddered sidewallcomprises an inner wall and an outer wall wherein said outer wallfurther comprises a first surface, a second surface, a third surface,and a fourth surface in order; a concave structure on said first surfaceof said outer wall, said concave structure comprises two first attachingmouths each on one of the two ends of said concave structure, said twofirst attaching mouths are used to link the two ends of a hand-held barso said hand-held bar can spin freely and be accepted by said concavestructure; at least one jointing agent on said concave structure of saidfirst surface; at least one first stacking mouth on the boundary of saidinner wall and said second surface and the boundary of said inner walland said fourth surface; a mouth in the middle of said third surfacewherein said mouth has two second attaching mouths and at least onefirst stacking mouth; a plurality of second stacking mouths on a secondsurface of said plate; a plurality of supporting elements wherein eachsaid supporting element comprises a first fastening element and a secondfastening element, one end of said first fastening element attaches tosaid second stacking mouth via a linking agent, one end of said secondfastening element attaches to said first stacking mouth, the other endof said first fastening element is joined with the other end of saidsecond fastening element such that the two fastening elements can spinalong the joint axis and be folded and accepted inside said secondstacking mouth; a transparent lid, wherein said transparent lid has twolinking elements on one side to attach to said two second attachingmouths on said third surface in a way that said transparent lid can spinfreely; at least one locking agent on the other side of said transparentlid corresponding to said jointing agent on said concave structure; andat least one third fastening element to work with said locking agent andsaid at least one jointing agent for locking up said transparent lid. 6.The stackable box of claim 5, wherein said outer wall is slightly higherthan said inner wall so that when said transparent lid is closed, saidtransparent lid can be supported by said inner wall and the top surfaceof said transparent lid is as high as the top surface of said outerwall.
 7. The stackable box of claim 5, wherein said locking agent islocated corresponding to said at least one jointing agent on saidconcave structure on said first surface.
 8. The stackable box of claim5, wherein said fastening element can work with any of said at least onelocking agent.